16. Sleep: African wildcat

With up to 40 hunting trips a day, lots of energy is expended.

African wildcats need plenty of sleep to allow their energy reserves to be replenished, enabling them to hunt whenever they detect prey. They will look for a safe place within their territory and rotate the spot perhaps to help keep parasite levels low. They often scratch when they wake up to stretch their muscles and to maintain their claws.

African wildcat kittens.

Original image URL - http://www.flickr.com/photos/katydownunder/6483619957/ Image author - Katja Soehngen , licence - All rights reserved, licence granted by the author to Cats Protection

Did you know cats need plenty of sleep to allow their energy reserves to be replenished? Even when cats have owners to provide food for them, instinct still tells them to conserve energy to ensure survival.